Mickelson burns his bridges

By Neville Idour

Mickelson burns his bridges

If Phil Mickelson produced some magic to win the PGA Championship major in the United States last year he has really dropped his magic wand with his inexplicable comments in regard to the much mooted Saudi tour.

(Photo by Luke Walker/WME IMG/WME IMG via Getty Image

His attempts to use the non existent Saudi League to gain leverage over the PGA Tour were so misplaced from someone with his mana. Accusing the PGA Tour of “obnoxious greed”, “being a dictatorship” and “being able to get by with manipulative strong arm tactics with the players having no recourse” could do nothing but alienate all and sundry in the golf world.

The crazy thing is Mickelson happily acknowledged and accepted the Saudis “had a horrible record of human rights abuses. They execute gay people there so why would I consider working with them?’’.

Because it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates and it would provide him and others leverage in forcing more concessions (read money) from the PGA Tour. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you bountifully.

Mickelson must have been under some delusion that there was going to be an exodus of many top players because of number of top 20 players who joined him in bypassing the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in favour of the Saudi International. They included Dustin Johnson, Bryson De Chambeau, Xander Schaufele, Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson, Paul Casey and others. But logically you would imagine significant “appearance money” may have been an enticement.

It was not an indication they were about to decamp to the Saudi Golf League. During the event Mickelson was reported to have claimed that “pretty much every player in the top 100 had been contacted at some point.” So what. That was always going to happen and meant a big fat nothing.

It would have been the ideal time to offer Johnson and DeChambeau the reported many millions of dollars to defect to the SGL. De Chambeau apparently was offered $200 million. PGA Tour world ranked 134th player Kramer Hickok claimed 17 players had already signed for the league. Hardly likely to be a who’s who of golf. Where are they now.

So the upshot of all the smoke and mirrors appears to show the SGL has been buried before it got off the ground. Why? In the wake of Mickelson’s comments many of his fellow professionals have both lambasted him and pledged their support for the PGA Tour.

(Photo by Luke Walker/WME IMG/WME IMG via Getty Image

Rory McIlroy castigated Mickelson for comments he labelled selfish, egotistical, arrogant and ignorant and said the SGL was dead in the water. To empathise with that sentiment DeChambeau and Johnson stated their firm allegiance to the PGA Tour.

Johnson bluntly said: “I am fully committed to the PGA Tour” and added “I am grateful to play the best tour in the world and for all it has provided me and my family.”

Others, including Tiger Woods, Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas, who was very critical of Mickelson, have firmly supported the PGA Tour. As McIlroy said “who’s left” and suggested Greg Norman would have to play to help fill a field.

That is another story with Norman the chief executive of LIV Golf Investments which is behind the exciting new 10 event International Series to be incorporated within the Asian Tour. Obviously Norman is not with the SGL as claimed.

This new series with prizemoney ranging from $US1.5 to $US2 million will be a force for good on the world golf scene. It will in fact make the Asian Tour a much more enticing entry point to PGA professional golf touring for New Zealand golfers.

So what is this all going to mean for Mickelson’s future? Imagine what it will be like for him in the locker room or if he ends up in a four with McIlroy, Thomas and Koepka. His legacy which seemed to have been permanently forged with his remarkable age defying PGA Championship win has been tarnished badly, possibly irreparably.

Respect from his fellow players, the PGA Tour and his loyal followers will have been eroded somewhat. He would almost certainly have been a Ryder Cup captain in the near future. Would the PGA Tour want him after his show of disloyalty? That would hurt him deeply knowing his love for that iconic event.

McIlroy, who serves on the PGA Tour policy board, reflected on Mickelson’s words: “It was very surprising and disappointing, sad. I’m sure he’s sitting at home sort of re-thinking his position and where he goes from here.”

Telling words indeed.

As it happens there is an epilogue because Mickelson must have done just that.

He apologised for his comments which he claimed did not reflect his true feelings or intentions and was deeply sorry for his choice of words. Furthermore he claimed that his words were “off the record”.

Any journalist or reporter with respect for his subject would never betray a confidence. In this instance the journalist denies that was the case. Therefore anything said is open for reporting.

I guess the problem is the words were uttered and the hole he dug may take a lot longer to refill than voicing an apology, if ever. Maybe that is why he plans to take some “time away” from golf.